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Documentarian Keith Beauchamp Reveals the Truth about the Lynching of Emmett Till

The truth about the lynching of Emmett Till was thought to have died along with him in 1955. But the new documentary, The Untold Story of Emmett Till, and the resurfacing of the immense amount of evidence regarding the case, prompted it to be reopened.

History was made when Mamie Till Mobley decided to have an open casket funeral for her son, who was brutally lynched while visiting family in Mississippi. The Civil Rights movement was sparked by a woman who was strong enough to show her brutally murdered son to the nation. The image of Emmett Till’s tortured corpse ended up in Jet magazine, which was circulated across the nation, putting a face to the horrific reality of lynching in the United States.

On August 20, 1955, fourteen-year-old Emmett Till, also known to his mother as “Bo,” rushed to the 12th Street train station in Chicago, on his way to visit his grand uncle. Several days after arriving at his uncle’s house in Mississippi, Emmett, along with a few of his cousins and friends, went to Money, Mississippi, to spend some of the money they had earned after a long day of picking cotton. Once Emmett and his friends arrived in Money, they headed to Bryant’s Store, a small convenience store, to purchase bubblegum and candy.

Upon leaving the store, Emmett allegedly whistled at Carolyn Bryant, wife of Roy Bryant, the owner of the store. At this time a black man whistling at a white woman was an unforgivable act. Three nights after this alleged act, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam woke young Emmett out of his sleep and ripped him from his bed. Several days later, Emmett’s body was found floating in the Tallahatchie River, unrecognizable, with the exception of a ring he was wearing, and a seventy-pound fan tied to his feet. The condition of Emmett’s body was horrific: he was so badly beaten that his tongue was hanging out of his mouth, one of his eyes was gouged out, his teeth were knocked out, the bridge of his nose was smashed in, and he had been shot in the head.

Although Mississippi authorities attempted to bury Emmett Till before Mrs. Mobley had the opportunity to see the body, Mrs. Mobley ordered the body shipped to Chicago. Despite orders not to, she opened the casket so that the world could see the reality of racial hatred. Despite overwhelming evidence placing the murderers at the scene of the crime, an all-white jury found Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam not guilty of the murder of Emmett Till.

Twenty-six years later in Baton Rouge, a ten-year-old boy named Keith Beauchamp was inspired to seek justice for Emmett Till after seeing the picture of his ghastly remains in Jet. These images would stay with him for a lifetime and inspire him to produce the documentary film, The Untold Story of Emmett Till. Looking at the photograph, he recounts the moment he first saw the picture. “I was just ten years old, and I’m looking at this angelic face of a fourteen-year-old, and I’m looking at this horrific face beside it that looked like a monster, and I could not believe that a little boy could be brutally murdered for just a whistle.”

The image of Emmett Till reliving itself in his mind, Beauchamp, a young man growing up in the racially tense south, was constantly reminded, as many young black males were, not to let what happened to Emmett Till happen to him. Beauchamp was harshly reminded of the Till incident when out with friends one night. “I was beat up by an undercover police officer for dancing with a white girl who wasn’t even my girlfriend. They tied me to a chair, pistol-whipped me, all kinds of stuff.” Beauchamp describes this experience as the one that woke him up to the problems with which this country is stil plagued.

Beauchamp went on to study criminal justice at Southern University, but decided to leave to work with some friends in New York who owned their own production company. After doing work on music videos, Beauchamp was presented with the opportunity to produce a feature film, and the Emmett Till story was something he knew he had to do.

Beauchamp began doing preliminary research for this feature film when he came across something that took the project in a completely different direction and served as a catalyst for the reopening of the case.

Beauchamp uncovered the names of witnesses who had never testified and articles alluding to other people who may have been involved in the death of Emmett Till. This revelation led Beauchamp to embark on a nine-year journey of investigation, research, and interviews of key witnesses in the case, working very closely with Mrs. Mobley to get the case reopened.

Beauchamp recognizes the reopening of this case is an important catalyst to a reawakening of the United States consciousness of our racial history. He also sees it as a means of “waking up a whole new generation. Just bringing the Emmett Till case back to the forefront will help us all analyze, especially young people who don’t really know about the civil rights movement. It will help us all. I truly believe that this is our Civil Rights movement of today and this case is the catalyst for that.”

He explains, “We knew what we were doing with this, we knew it would start a domino effect. To have the Emmett Till case reopened is a catalyst, just like it was a catalyst in 1955, it will be a catalyst for change today, and that’s what’s happened and that’s what will continue to happen.”

Although both Beauchamp and Mrs. Mobley, who had worked for over forty-seven years to get her son’s murder case reopened, had an idea of what would happen, Mrs. Mobley’s untimely death in 2003 prevented her from seeing the result. The death of Mrs. Mobley, who became like a mother to Beauchamp, led to the pursuit of justice not only in the name of Emmett Till, but also for Mrs. Mobley.

And, on May 10, 2004, the Emmett Till case was reopened.

Beauchamp hopes to be able to teach future generations, much like his predecessors and artists have inspired him. He says it is important “to continue to tell African American stories, so that Americans and the world won’t ever forget. Spielberg makes sure that we don’t forget the Jewish Holocaust. I want to keep our stories alive, I want to continue to tell our stories. I really, truly believe that by telling these stories continually, it can give us hope and make us better as a people, because you have to know your history and where you come from.”

Along with reawakening black consciousness, Beauchamp believes that this case is important to all people living in this country. “We still have a lot being put on us, we still have people being lynched, we still have police brutality, and we still have race hatred. We all benefit from the Civil Rights movement, people are having the chance to see what it was like in 1955.”

behind da barz

--------the chemicals R identical, we're one & the same / with 7 letters in all 3 of my government names / walked on water, nah, neither did jesus / its a parable to make followers & readers believers--------i gave her my honorable discharge & she took it like a soldier--------what's a black beetle anyway, a fuckin roach-------she told the director she tryna get in a school-he said "take them glasses off and get in the pool"---------what ya'll call swag to me is faggotry-------my outfit so disrespectful / u go 'head n sneeze let my presence bless u--------its quite amazing that u rhyme like u do / & how u shine like u grew up in a shrine in peru-------its hard fuckin with niggaz u hope u can trust / ure a fool if ure main bitch is easy to fuck--------beyond the walls of intelligence life is divine / i think of crime when im in a new york state of mind - ------THE WAY SOME ACT IN RAP IS KINDA WACK / IT LACKS CREATIVITY & INTELLIGENCE / BUT THEY DON'T CARE BECAUSE THEIR COMPANY IS SELLING IT / ITS MY PHILOSOPHY ON THE INDUSTRY--------From days I wasn't "Abel/able", there was always "Cain/caine-------know how to leave anything in 30 seconds / when you feel the heat coming & flee with the murder weapon--------ayo my silent moments' loud as the crack of thunder / my hunger like the crocodile that attacked the hunter-------i'm something between platinum & flop, underground & mainstream / conscious, backpack, scratch dat; same thing---------this phiscal year im'a stay hot, buzzin / wit dudes that help me shoot like a-rod's cousin-------i fight chicks who bite dicks / give 'em lock-jaw then make 'em fight pits ------all we see is terrorism
on telievision ------i'm da illest nigga alive
watch me prove it / i'll snatch your crown
with your head still attatched to it ------slap your face till your head ache your neck break / the next day
slash your throat thru the neckbrace ------
I'm ahead of the game, ahead of these lames / I'm a head case, the head nurse gets me better with brain ------ure now dealin with da kid who heat-holds
& reloads / like god gave him a gta ammunition cheat-code ------once upon a time i used to grind all night / with dat coke residue that was ipod white ------
--i took trips with so much shit in the whip / that if the cops pulled us over the dogs would get sick (sniff) ------
i put my lifetime in between the paper's lines / i'm da quiet storm nigga who fight rhyme ------brain cells are lit ideas start to hit / next the formation of words dat fit / at da table i sit making it legit / when my pen hits da paper...aah shit -------i save money while u spendin ure doe / i must stash like da hair between your lip & your nose ------age don't count in the booth / when your flow stayed submerged in the fountain of youth -------when i'm writing i'm trapped in between the lines / i escape when i finish da rhyme - ------if we can't eat together then u aint my mans /
so when u see me in da streets dont shake my hand- -----money is da root of all evil / dats why u always gotta now where u stand with your people--------i can show u how to gamble your money, handle a gun / & be a family man & go home to your sun- -------black diamonds in my jesus-piece / MY GOD-------its like da ball be over the plate & they dont call it a strike- ------i'm a gangsta & a gentleman, show you both sides of the coin / knife at your throat-gun at your groin- --------my testimonial be "death to a phony mc / you wanna impress me, show me a ki--------lord knows what homey would do if i showed him da 9 / a one-eyed man is king in the land of the blind--------on da road to riches & diamond rings / in the land of the blind a man with one eye is the king--------you lack the minerals & vitamins, iron & the niacin--------stares get exchanged then the 5th come out / the tough guy disappears then the bitch come out--------if you got a bith you dont argue with dat bitch / you dont listen to dat bitch all you do is fuck dat bitch-------know da bitch b4 you call yourself lovin it / nogga wit a benz fuckin it------went from $20Gs for blow to $30gs a show / to orgies wit hoes i never seen befo'-------i'm intelectual; passed more essays / than police motorcade parades thru east l.a.-------DEAD IN THE MIDDLE OF LITTLE ITALY LITTLE DID WE KNOW / WE RIDDLED SOME MIDDLE-MAN WHO DIDN'T DO DIDDLY-------visualizing the realism of life in actuality / fuck who's da baddest; a person's status depends on salary-------mechanical movement, understandable smooth shit / that murderers move with-the thief's theme--------DEEP LIKE "THE SHINING" SPARKLE LIKE A DIAMOND / SNEAK AN UZI ON DA ISLAND IN MY ARMY JACKET LINING / HIT THE EARTH LIKE A COMET - INVASION / NAS IS LIKE THE AFRO-CENTRIC ASIAN; ½ MAN, ½ AMAZING-------& why certainly i'm squirtin / bust a nut then get up & wipe my dick on your curtain-------walk by your casket & spit in your face--------i know how to get my peers off me / make 'em cry & die from high blood-pressure cuz tears are salty-------i'm not trying to give you love & affection / i'm tryna give you 60 seconds of erection / then im'a give you cab fare & directions / get your independent ass outta here - question?---------black cat is bad luck; bad guys wear black / must've been a white guy who started all that--------either you're slinging crack-rocks or you got a wicked jumpshot--------all us blacks got is sports & entertainment--------2 many athletes, actors & rappers / but not enough niggaz at nasa - ------why did bush knock down the towers?--------I REACT LIKE MIKE / ANY ONE TY-SON, JOR-DAN, JACK-SON / action, pack gunz, ridiculous--------all the teachers couldn't reach me & my mom couldn't beat me / hard enough to make up for my pop not seeing me---------kings from queens, from queens comes kings / we're raising hell like a class when the lunch bell rings---------excuse me miss, can i give you a minute? / may i buy you a glass of ice with liquor in it?--------what goes around comes around i figure / now we got white kids calling themselves nigga / the tables turn as the crosses burn...---------YOU LOVE TO HEAR THE STORY AGAIN & AGAIN / OF HOW IT ALL GOT STARTED WAY BACK WHEN--------i guess they got a grudge cause i won't budge / playin tough, staring down the judge with my hands cuffed---------A CHILD IS BORN WITH NO STATE OF MIND / BLIND TO THE WAYS OF MANKIND--------who shot biggie smalls? if we don't get them they gon' get us all / i'm down to run up pn them crackers in their city hall----------its kinda hard to be optimistic / when your homey is laying dead in a casket----------they say the blacker the berry; the sweeter the juice / i say the darker the flesh; then the deeper the roots---------i took your breath away then we'd perform cpr---------there's no real way it can be explained / i guess its just the way i smile when i hear your name--------CASH RULES EVERYTHING AROUND ME / C.R.E.A.M. GET THE MONEY, DOLLAR DOLLAR BILL Y'AAAAALL------------see I’m a poet to some, a regular modern day shakespeare / jesus christ the king of these latter day saints here / To shatter the picture in which of that as they paint me as / a monger of hate and satan a scatter-brained atheist--------i remember marvin gaye used to sing to me / he had me feeling like black was the thing to be------------this be that put-you-out-your-misery song / that makes you ask your man 'is this the joint he's dissin me on?'---------foul all your life now ure 90 / on ure death bed u regret being grimey---------INDUSTRY RULE #4080, RECORD COMPANY PEOPLE ARE SHAAADYYYY / so kids watch your back cause i think they smoke crack---------society's a weak excuse for a man-----------planet earth my place of birth / born to be the sole controller of the universe---------the mic had my prints, on on it was a body---------a squealer tells, but the dealer still sells---------some young male put in jail / lawyer so good his bail was on sale----------i'm just takin a piss......unless you're gonna do it----------fuck street clothes, we thug it out in tuxedos / stomp niggaz with hard bottoms in casinos--------people higher up have the lowest self-esteem / & the prettiest people do the ugliest things-----------IF YOU ADMIRE SOMEONE YOU SHOULD GO 'HEAD & TELL 'EM / PEOPLE NEVER GET THE ROSES WHILE THEY CAN STILL SMELL 'EM-----------goddamn, what a nigga gotta do to make a million / without the fbi catching feelings--------i got a story to tell / in these streets we got drugs & guns for sale---------we keep the nine tucked chop dimes up rap about it / wild out fuck niggaz up laugh about it---------- read between tha lines of ya eyes and ya brows /
ya handshake aint matchin ya smile---------what the fuck i rap for? to push a fuckin rav-4?-------fuck all the glamour & glitz, i plan to get rich / i'm from new york & never was a fan of the knicks----------the white boy blossomed after dre endorsed him / his flow on renegade-fuckin awesome...applaud him-------before i start you know i gotta / pay homage & respects to afrika bambaata---------DRUGS IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS / MONEY IS THE KEY TO SEX------i pimped my crib so i must exhibit------- I - WILL - NOT - LOSE !